Midnight Scars
by KrazyTigger
Summary: Max and The Flock are still on the run. But what could possibly happen when they bump into an old friend? The group is about to discover Zip, their bubbly friend from long ago. I don't own anything guys.
1. Could It Be? Zip?

**I don't own anything guys, well apart from Zip. Rated for safety!**

I woke with a start as two fingers lightly tapped my shoulder. I knew who it was because he was on first watch, he had agreed to first watch. It was Fang, but why was he waking me up? I sat up silently, I'm a light sleeper as it is, and Fang knew it. Allowing my eyes to focus, I stared at Fang's shadowy figure knelt before me. Once he was focused and I could see him in the little light left from the fire, I frowned at him, glancing at the kids and Iggy, not one of them had stirred, not even Iggy. I wasn't surprised; we had been flying for ages beforehand.

"What is it?" I asked in a whisper, but Fang just pressed a finger to his lips, looking into the forest. I stiffened, but once I saw there was nothing there, I listened as well. For a moment I couldn't hear anything and I just frowned a little more. But as I strained to hear, I heard what Fang had been indicating to; there was a scuffling sound of someone, or something, moving in the trees. I stiffened, looking to Fang, he just nodded a little. Whatever it, or whoever it was, they were really close.

Instantly I leant over and tapped Iggy's hand twice, he sat up but made no sound. Why was it that when we touched him he woke? I tapped his hand again and he nodded, making no sounds, but leaning over and waking the kids. I woke Angel who was sleeping beside me, telling her to be silent by pressing my finger to my lips. She nodded eyes wide as she tried to focus on their minds. I was guessing Flyboys, but then they wouldn't have made this much noise, the only other thing was Erasers, and I was probably guessing right to be honest with you. Angel nodded to my thoughts and I groaned instantly, everyone turned to look at me. I thought that they'd been given up on? I guess not!

Ah, yeah, little bit of background info on us. I'm Max, fourteen years old, leader of The Flock, a group of kids with bird DNA. Yes it is as freaky as it sounds, we all have wings. Fang is my best friend, also the same age, he's second in command. Iggy is also the same age, and also blind, but don't start feeling sorry for the blind guy, trust me; he's just like the rest of us, a strong fighter and has the most amazing talents. Nudge is next; she's eleven and a complete motor mouth, which is a whiz with computers, any computers. Gasman, it isn't worth asking, is eight and can do impressions of anyone. And then there's six year old Angel, she has too many abilities to list, but mind reading is one.

"It's Erasers," I told the others, glancing at Angel, who nodded a little. Iggy groaned, as did Gasman, but then excitement showed on both of their faces. Yeah great, that meant explosives, it always did. "Alright, we can try and get out of here, or we can face them." I was opting for the facing them idea, I needed to kick some Eraser butt, but if we could run, then I'd do that.

No-one had a chance to answer, because there was muffled cry of pain, one that wasn't from an Eraser. "Ok, that settles it; someone is getting grief from them." I whispered, heading for the trees and slipping into the shadows. I heard the Flock follow me, it would have been easier to take to the sky, but I wasn't going to take the chance.

The shuffles grew closer, and then was an 'oof' as someone took a blow, to the stomach it sounded. It also sounded like an Eraser; I smiled, whoever it was they were putting up one hell of a good fight. I listened carefully, creeping forwards slightly, the Flock right behind me.

That's when the fight came into view and I gasped in shock. A winged girl, with shockingly long blonde hair was fighting with a group of Erasers, but she was losing. Blood was running down her cheek and her shirt was ripped in several places. The scary thing was, I knew her, and we all did. It was Zip! I glanced at Angel, she looked just as shocked as I did, we all thought Zip was dead, we all believed that Zip was dead, but Angel nodded.

I looked to Fang now; he was frozen in shock and horror, staring at the girl in front of us, battling for her life. His unreadable face was quite readable now, I knew why. When we left the School, or rather escaped, Fang found out that Zip was in fact his sister, his twin sister. You wouldn't think it if you saw them, trust me, they're completely opposite. Fang is mysterious and quiet, with dark hair, ect, whereas Zip is lively, bubbly, blonde and completely mad. I swear she'd be a fair match for Nudge in a talking competition.

Zip was with us when we were in cages, well half of the time she was. See Zip has the weird ability to escape from whatever is holding her. No matter how big the lock, she'd get out of it. She was forever escaping from where she was held. She was amazing at it, but she never got far. Eventually they gave up with her, and once when she escaped, she tried to get us out as well, they sent the Erasers after her.

We had watched in horror as she was nearly torn to pieces in front of our eyes, then dragged away, barely breathing, we thought her to be dead. Now we were watching the same sort of situation. Zip had been part of our family when we were trapped there, not a main part of our family, because Jeb moved us away and that became the main family. But she was still our family, now even more so as she was Fang's twin sister. But did she even know that? No-one knows how Zip got her name, she was called something before that, but no-one knew what. Zip had always just been, well Zip.

I heard Gazzy telling Iggy and he froze in horror as well. I winced a little, Iggy had been close to Zip when they were in cages, and she had broken him out a fair few times. I knew that they were closer than ever before she had been destroyed right in front of us, well maybe not destroyed after all. This had to be hard for both of the guys.

I turned my attention back to the fight, there were so many of them, just watching for their chance, like it was a game. It made my blood boil and I clenched my fists. Zip landed a nice kick in one of their throats, causing the Eraser to gag and fall forwards, but another took his place. She was struck again, falling to her knees and taking a deep breath, not bothering to get up. She thought it was over, they pinned her arms.

That was enough for Fang; he took off into the air, rushing through the branches. Iggy was a split second behind him, following the sound of the branches. I followed, along with the kids. I just hoped we would get out of this…


	2. Fight In The Sky

We were silent, apart from the rustling in the trees. A few Erasers looked up, but they were taken care of by Angel, making them run into trees. I glanced at her, at of the corner of my eye; she was really getting very scary. After that happened, the Erasers knew that something was up, because most of them looked up. Fang took his chance then, folding his wings and dive bombing them, the Erasers scattered at this, and then took into the air. Great, these ones had wings, though it was to be expected. The rest of us prepared ourselves, clenching our fists as the first lot of Erasers came at us. I heard a startled gasp from below, but I didn't have a chance to look, because an Eraser headed straight for me.

Without a second though, I brought my foot up under his chin, snapping his head back. He groaned, and kneed him hard in the face. That was all it took for him to spiral to the floor. One down, but soon another was advancing, and then another from the other direction. I shot up, avoiding a punch that was meant for me. I looked down from above, tucking my wings in and diving, grabbing the wings of the Eraser and snapping them together, bending the joint the wrong way. He cried out and pain, that was him down. A female Eraser swiped out at me, catching my cheek, I felt the warmth of blood. Angrily I kicked out at her, catching her in the chest, the breath left her, I heard it.

I turned to see what the others were doing. Fang was battling two Erasers, Angel was still making them do stupid things and Gazzy was battling one. Iggy was bleeding from somewhere; it didn't appear to be heavy. Nudge on the other hand seemed perfectly fine to me. I looked down on the ground, surprise crossing my face as Zip landed a well aimed kick in an Eraser's face. She had always been tough, but I think in the last four years she'd toughened up even more, well she had to I guess.

Diving through the remaining Erasers I headed for her, she was bleeding still, but going strong. I landed a little way from her, just as she round housed an Eraser, spotting me in the process. She didn't have a chance to say anything and neither did I, because we were both attacked by Erasers. "Where…the…hell…have…you…been?" She asked, adding a blow to each of her words, she dodged an attack. "I…have…been…looking…for…you…for…four…years!" Again she dodged, punching the Erasers in the ribs, there was a crack and he fell to the ground. She turned to me as I floored my Eraser as well, she was smiling.

"I could ask you the same question," I countered, smiling as well.

"Yeah, you better leave!" I heard Gazzy call, I looked up to the sky, and the remaining Erasers were getting out of here. I suddenly felt two strong arms around me, hugging me tightly. I knew who it was. It was Zip. I laughed and even she seemed surprised when I hugged her back. Like I said, Zip is the most bubbly person you will ever meet, she is always hugging people, laughing joking. She was like it in the School, even though they tested on us, she always kept us bright, if that was possible. She has always had a great look on life, even though we spent most of it in cages.

"Angel!" Zip exclaimed, letting go of me and looking over my right shoulder. Zip is my height, with about the same wingspan. "Hello monster," She laughed, running past me and hugging Angel, picking her up even. Angel giggled a little and returned the hug, smiling now. Zip set her down, just as Nudge and Gazzy landed as well, both running over to her, they hugged her at the same time. She laughed and returned the hug quickly, smiling down at them. "You've all grown up so much, I can't believe it."

"So have you," Gazzy pointed out as he stepped back, looking up at her with a smile. "When did you get so tall?" He was so innocent when he wanted to be. That was when he wasn't playing with explosives, well him and Iggy. I watched the scene happily, hearing Fang land behind me, but he stayed silent and out of sight as much as possible. I could understand why, this was his twin sister and she had no idea that they were even related.

"We thought you were dead," Nudge whispered, looking up at her with eyes wide. "We really did! When you were beaten up by Erasers, we all thought that they had killed you. But here you are, standing right here, right now. I am so happy to have you back Zip! I missed you so much, we all have-" Zip pressed a finger to her lips, smiling a little.

"I forgot how much you could talk," She teased lightly, turning as Iggy landed behind her. I saw her eyes widen a little, she bit her bottom lip. "Iggy," She breathed, going over to him and hugging him gently, he hesitated, but returned it gently. "I have missed you so much." Ok, that was awkward for us, very awkward, but we ignored the exchange. "Where is Fang?" Zip asked, pulling away from Iggy and looking around, she spotted him, instantly she smiled. "The whole gang." She teased.

"Zip, there is something you should know," I told her, stepping forwards, the whole Flock froze when I said that. Zip pressed a hand to one of her wounds, looking at me, her head on one side. "See, when we left the School, well we found out some things about our families. And well, Fang found his family. The thing is, Zip, I don't know how to say this." I took a deep breath, looking at her, she was frowning. "Zip, Fang has a twin sister. You're that twin sister." Zip stepped back after she had taken that in, shaking her head a little, and her eyes widened, she looked over my shoulder at Fang.

"No way…it can't be," She breathed, biting her bottom lip. At the moment, her eyes closed and she fell to her knees. Crap!


	3. Fireside Talks

**I didn't make it very clear in the last chapter that it was in fact dark and they were battling in the dark with only the Eraser's fire to help them. Sorry about that. Also, please review! I know people must be enjoying this because they're adding it, but not many are reviewing it!**

Emotions aren't something that we are used to, so this was all a little strange for us. Everyone was worked up by this point, Fang included, which was just plain strange. Iggy had caught Zip before she had hit the ground, lying her gently down, before stepping back to allow us to get to her. I knelt beside her carefully, looking at her closed eyes; she looked so peaceful, yeah right. I jumped back in surprise as water splashed on Zip's face; I turned to Iggy who looked innocently at me. "It'll wake her up!" He told me, rolling his eyes a little. Zip's eyelids fluttered; eventually she opened her eyes fully and looked up at us. Alright, so Ig had been right, this time.

We had all been worried, none of us knew if Zip had collapsed because the amount of blood she had lost, or because she was just shocked at what we had told her. I was guessing that is was a bit of both, because when she tried to sit, she cried out in pain, putting her hands to her side, more blood. "Ig, check how bad it is," I told Iggy quickly, I knew he would know the extent of the damage just by touching her wounds. Iggy came back towards us, kneeling beside Zip and running his fingers lightly over her side and stomach. Fang was keeping his distance maybe that was best for now.

"I-Is it true?" Zip gasped as Iggy carried on, I saw a pained look cross his face when he turned to me, but almost immediately turned back to Zip again. She looked worried, more than a little, but there was something else in her eyes, something I've never seen in Zip's eyes before. True, Zip is the most outgoing in our family, but that's all a front. Deep down, she is hurting more than she lets on, more than any of us know. And what was shining in her eyes right then, it was true happiness, the first time I have ever seen anything like that from her.

Ok, I tell a lie, there was one other time and that was before she had escaped for what seemed like her final time. That one other time was when she had been with Iggy once before, in a white room. All of us had been there, they were testing on us. I didn't want to remember that time, because it was a horrible memory, the worst of any kind and it was just too painful to even think of right then. But those were the only two times I have seen Zip truly happy. Like I said before, she smiles and laughs, but deep down she is hurting so much.

"It's true Zip," I told her, with a small smile, glancing at Fang. "But we'll talk about this later, for now we need to get you some rest." I took her arm helping her to her feet, where she stumbled, unsure on her feet. I supported her, glancing at Fang once again, but he made no move to help. I think he was in shock, after all he had only just learnt about this as well, and he believed her to be dead. Well she clearly wasn't dead.

"I can walk," Zip assured me, pulling herself away and gently starting forwards. Angel took her hand suddenly and led her to the trees where we had been hiding earlier. I watched them for a moment, turning to Iggy now.  
"How bad is it?" I asked him in a whisper, as Fang followed Zip and Angel. He glanced at me, but carried on anyway. I hoped they were going to speak some time soon, otherwise things were going to start to get a little awkward and I didn't want that.

"Quite bad," Iggy told me, wincing a little and shaking his head. "She'll be alright by tomorrow morning, as she heals fast, but for the rest of the night we'll have to keep a close eye on her." I nodded my head, forgetting for a moment that Iggy was in fact blind. I was about to correct myself when he continued. "Is it really her Max and not someone else?" I thought I could hear a note of desperation in his voice, but I wasn't sure. They hadn't been as close as that had they? Maybe they had…

"It's her Ig," I told him, touching his arm gently and making his jump just a little. "There isn't a doubt that it's Zip. The same Zip that we knew, just with a few changes, that's all. Like the fact that her hair is about ten times longer and she has grown up." I smiled a little, taking Iggy's hand to show him that I was smiling. He smiled back at me, following the others. "Right guys, c'mon," I called to Nudge and Gazzy who were stood a little way away. Camp wasn't too far from where we were and I wanted to get back.

I was still taking in the fact that Zip was alive and with us right now. It was hard to take in when you thought that you had seen someone you knew torn to pieces. But then it was the same with Ari wasn't it? I had killed him, but he had come back from the dead. Maybe Zip was the same; I would have to ask her later. Also if she had developed any curious talents that we should know about, not just the fact that she can escape from cages. _**"Not everything is as it seems Max…" **_Yeah, that's helpful, you don't say. There was no more from the Voice than that.

I entered the clearing where we had been, surprised to see Iggy and Fang both helping Zip, sorting out her wounds. I smiled a little, things were going well. Gazzy, Angel and Nudge had restarted the fire and it was blazing now. "How did you escape?" Nudge asked suddenly, I think it's the least amount of words she has ever said. It seemed to shock everyone, including Zip, who put her head on one side. She winced as Iggy lifted up her top a little to see the wound on her side. It wasn't too bad; he had said she would survive.

"Well," Zip hesitated, glancing at me for a moment. "When they dragged me away, they had already decided that I was a lost cause and so they experimented on me even more. I was locked in a white room for days and days, no food, no water, nothing. I just had to pace and there was no lock, so I couldn't escape. That's when they started, after a week; well I guessed it was a week, I couldn't tell. That's when they gave me…the stuff." I saw her wince, but no-one was touching her now, Ig and Fang had stepped back.

"They had developed a drug that stops us from healing full stop," Zip whispered, fear crossing her eyes as she focused on me. "I was their test subject, because they couldn't hold me any longer. I was given the drug and then left to battle Erasers, every time they put in enough to beat me. Every time I was hurt, badly." She pulled up her top again, showing a long gash that ran from under her ribcage on the right side diagonally across to her hip, her left hip. "I never healed, it just bled and bled." She looked away, I could feel the sadness and fear rolling off of her, and it was horrible.

Iggy stepped forwards and took her hand, shocking everyone. Zip turned her head back to him, her eyes wide as she did. I think she was expecting it to be Angel or Nudge, not Iggy, even I wasn't expecting that. She carried on, looking back at the rest of us. "I nearly died so many times; I just gave up trying to count. They tried countless things on me, sent me towards death's door every time, only for me to be pulled back again. I couldn't take it anymore, and so I escaped. I don't even remember what happened, just that I was taken to another room, my wounds were bad. I took the chance then, I think I killed a scientist in the process."

"That was nearly a year ago," Zip shook her head a little, looking at the floor. Poor Zip, she had been tested on all of her life and then for a further three years she had torture. This was the real Zip, this one that was showing us how much she hurt inside. This is the one that was hiding…


	4. That's All We Needed

**Note to everyone: Ok, so I do understand that Zip may seem upfront about her past and emotions, but this is completely planned. I wanted her character to stand out, to be something new. I wanted her to be the one who would fit into the human world without any hassle. Though she is still one of them, I want to her to be there to relate to a little easier. So just a little note telling you that Zip is supposed to be the way she is made out to be, it's the way I have shaped her.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, keep them up guys! We still aren't getting that many, so c'mon, just a little note. :)**

Slowly I rose, keeping a look out for any trouble, none so far, yeah that wouldn't last long, would it? We're not that lucky. My eyes scanned the group, lingering on the little figure of Angel in the dark; she was curled close to Zip. I felt a surge of jealously rip through me as I looked at them, they were getting closer, but Angel was my baby! I didn't like it one bit, but I would just have to get over it. A hand touched my shoulder and I instantly stiffened, though I knew who it would be. I turned and glared at the figure of Fang in the dark. Dammit he was way to quiet. Stupid Chameleon!

"Do you think that she believes us?" Was Fang's first question as he looked at me, an eyebrow raised. I shrugged a little, I honestly didn't know if she believed us or not. She had fallen asleep straight away after she had told us what had happened, nothing had been said on the twin matter. I knew that Fang believed it, or he wouldn't have asked this right now.

Fang sighed and sat himself close to the fire, putting his hand over it with a small shiver. I sat down next to him, biting my bottom lip. Fang was my best friend and I should have been able to comfort him when he was like this, but I just couldn't find the words that said what I meant. So I changed the subject instead to an easier one. "We should wake the kids soon," I whispered, looking over at the others.

On cue, Iggy sat up, stretching a little, he poked Gazzy in the ribs. Gazzy groaned a little, he reached over and pushed Nudge, who muttered something about being tired. "Oh well this is perfect timing to get up," Total grumbled from somewhere in between Angel and Zip. I grinned a little, glancing over there, both of the girls were waking, Nudge was still sleeping, or just about to wake up.

"Max, guess what! Guess what!?" Angel cried excitedly, her eyes wide as she jumped up from where she had been led. I looked at her, frowning a little, as she beamed. "Zip told me not to tell you last night, because she had only just arrived, but I can now!" Could tell me what? "Zip has mind powers! Like mine! Except hers are a lot weaker, she told me. She can only just read other's minds and she can talk to me through mine!" My mouth dropped open and I looked over at Zip.

Zip wrinkled her nose a little, and shook her head; obviously she didn't want Angel to tell just yet. "How long have you known?" I asked, as the others looked over at Zip as well, even Nudge sat up now, frowning a little. Zip shrugged a little, glancing at Angel, who smiled and nodded at her. Grr that was going to get annoying!!! That's why they had been so close last night as well.

"Just over two years…" Zip whispered, with a small smile. Great now we had two mind readers, that's all we needed!


End file.
